Actor Jinyoung Reveals How He Bulked Up for His Role in ‘Sweet Home 2’
He reflects on his dedicated fitness routine and the lengths he went to, to portray the part of a soldier.
Following the official drop of Netflix’s Sweet Home 2 last week, South Korean actor Jinyoung revealed in a recent interview why he intentionally bulked up for the role of Park Chan-young. The 32-year-old actor, who was formerly K-pop boy group B1A4’s leader, said that he put on about 6kg for his portrayal of the soldier from the Special Forces Guard.
The highly-anticipated Sweet Home 2 was released on December 1, and stars Song Kang, Go Min-si and Lee Jin-uk in the horror and action-packed drama. Jinyoung is joining the cast of Sweet Home 2 for the first time, as a member of the military responsible for the safe evacuation of survivors in a world ravaged by monsters. With this new role, the actor has spoken up about how rigorous his personal preparations for the show have been.
In the interview, Jinyoung shared, “I worked hard to bulk up by about 5 to 6kg. Since my character is a former baseball player, wouldn’t it be strange if I didn’t exercise? I thought I should visually convey the feeling of being able to throw well. However, I didn't think I could drastically increase muscle mass, so I did what I could to bulk up. And since my character just joined the military, I cut my hair short. I practised baseball and went to action school to improve my physical strength.
“I didn’t want my face to look round since [my character] wouldn’t have been able to eat much in a monster-like state, so I couldn’t have my face look healthy. I worked hard on exercising because I thought having a sharp face and a big body would be nice.”
For six months, Jinyoung underwent rigorous physical training, and he even engaged a personal trainer to help him stick to his strict workout routine. He candidly explained, “I went to the gym seven times a week. I actually spent a lot of money on exercise because I had a personal trainer every time I worked out. My personality tends to be quite lenient, so I thought I had to be strict this time [for the role]. Even though it cost a lot of money, I always got a personal trainer. They said I was the best VIP member at the gym, and the trainer liked it because I used up all 30 [gym] tickets in a month.”
After half a year of intensive exercise and controlled dieting, Jinyoung finally achieved his ideal physique for the role of Park Chan-young. But he didn’t stop there, even during the process of filming for the series, he dedicated time and effort to maintaining his figure. “During filming, I worked out whenever I had time. On my days off, I went to work out, ate my meals in the car, and carried dumbbells with me,” said the My First First Love actor.
The former idol also reflected on his journey as he got older, musing, “I didn’t really think about bulking up during my group activities. As I’m getting older and am approaching my mid-thirties, I thought it would be the right time to show a little change to suit my older self, so I decided to work out a bit, even if it wasn’t for the show.”
The actor also revealed that the lead actor of the Sweet Home franchise Song Kang has expressed an interest in working out together. Jinyoung mentioned that this interaction came naturally after the pair bonded over their shared passion for exercising while on set together.
